Have you always been interested in horses and when did you start out in the industry? What is it exactly that you do?
I have always loved horses, since I was a little girl, I would only read horses books, fact or fiction, and I would study them for hours!

It took me until I was 8 or 9 to convince my parents to get me a horse, but after that I lived and breathed horses every second I could! I attended pony club and competed in just about every discipline over the years!

I loved to learn as much as I could about anything horse related, especially all the different training techniques. I got my first “proper” horse job in my gap year before I went to university.  I worked at a standardbred stud handling weanlings, and after weanling season I stayed on there as a stable hand and driver, then went on to do yearling preparation with standardbreds as well! All that led me to my passion for standardbreds.

After a couple of years in a non horse related degree, spending every weekend and holidays back home working with horses, I dropped out of uni and went to a college to study Equine Myofunctional Therapy. I loved the course and became a qualified horse masseur.

All along I kept working in the harness racing industry and became even more involved in it as a muscle therapist. That’s when I got my first ‘standy’ as a riding horse, and he blew me away and proved all the rumours about standardbreds being horrible riding horses wrong! He was the most amazing horse to work with and ride and he is what prompted me to start a standardbred re-education and rehoming program!

From there I have ended up working part time as an Equine Myofunctional Therapist and part time working on re educating and rehoming standardbreds off the track!

How much of your day/week is related to horses?
All of my week is dedicated to working with horses, I literally live and breathe them!

In this field of work, is it possible to be a full time professional and earning a liveable income?
Working full time as an Equine Myofunctional Therapist it is possible to have a liveable income, although it is very hard on the body so I don’t think its a good long term viable thing to do.  I find I get very sore if I massage too many horses in one week and I want to be able to do it for years to come so I keep my limit to 20 horses a week!

As far as making a liveable income working full time out of the standardbred rehoming, I think it would be impossible.  I find it very hard to even cover my costs running the program, its very much something I do out of love! For every penny I lose running the program though, I get a mile of satisfaction out of seeing the horses go on to new lives so it makes it worth while to me, and luckily I have an amazing husband who will work extra hours to help support me and all our horsey kids!!

What are the general steps taken to be employed in such a role?
To be employed as an Equine Myofunctional Therapist it was a matter of completing the course and then slowly building a client base.  It takes time but I found people talk a lot if they are happy with your work and soon enough I had a decent client base!

In the standardbred rehoming I was lucky enough to have had a fair bit of experience with them as racehorses so had a background of knowledge of what life was like for them as racehorses.  But, as much as it helped me, I don’t think it is a total necessity to be able to run a rehoming program.

They are an amazing breed to work with, and they have such wonderful temperaments, so I think anyone that loves horses and has a decent knowledge base of training horses could run a rehoming program.

I found the horses have taught me so much along the way.  I think back to when I started and realise that I was almost as green as the horses I was breaking in, but they are such a forgiving breed and worked with me, and along the way I’ve picked up so many new skills and methods – they have made me a much better trainer!

Any advice for those interested in pursuing this line of work?
For anyone wanting to pursue a career in horse muscle work, I say just be careful not to over work yourself, as it’s amazing how much working horses’ muscles can end up hurting you if you’re not careful and don’t pace yourself!

For anyone interested in standarbred rehoming, I say do it! It’s not something that will make you rich financially but it’s hands down the most rewarding thing in the world!!

Is there anything else with horses you’d love to learn about or try?
Id love to learn more about Equine Nutrition, and I plan on doing a nutrition degree in the future. I always aim to learn more and more about training horses and horse psychology, so that’s really a life time goal to keep on learning! You can never know all there is about horses, that what I love about a career in them the most!

Favourite horse memory?
So many good memories! I suppose riding Norie, my gorgeous standy – the first horse I ever broke to saddle – out in the open for the first time.  That moment where I realised I could trust him and he would do anything for me and look after me was a feeling words could not describe!

Future goals?
My future goals are to keep doing what I’m doing, but to keep getting better at it! I hope to eventually buy more land and to get a better set up, so I can rehome more standardbreds.  That’s my biggest goal for the future!

Best thing about your sport/profession?
The best thing as an equine myofunctional therapist is seeing a horse’s behaviour and performance improve.  It’s the sense of satisfaction knowing you helped the horse!

The best thing about rehoming the standies is hearing from their new homes and hearing all the wonderful things they are doing! It is by far the most rewarding thing to see them go on into wonderful new lives!!

“I live in a house but my home is in the stable.”

Have you always been interested in horses and when did you start out in the industry? What is it exactly that you do?
My horse interest started at a very young age – like many young girls I always wanted a pony. After years of begging I was able to start having lessons and got my own pony when I was about 9. I then was very involved with Pony Club through to the age of 21.

After I finished school I did an Advanced Diploma of Applied Science (Horse Management) at Glenormiston College, which included a gap year out working on horse properties.

This was a time learning lots and growing up! I realised that although I loved working with horses, working for other people on horse properties (in groom/stablehand roles) didn’t pay particularly well and wasn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I went on to complete an Agricultural Science degree and have worked in that field full time for the past 9 years. Having a good full time job has supported my hobby of eventing and enabled me to own my own small horse property.

It is only in recent times that I began equestrian coaching. It started with helping out at local Pony Clubs a few years ago and has grown from there!

I now instruct regularly at local Pony Clubs and Adult Riding Clubs and have a growing number of private clients ranging from beginners to those out competing at the lower levels.

I also offer lessons on my schoolmaster horses as well as coaching riders with their own horses.

How much of your day/week is related to horses?
At the moment, on weekdays I spend a couple of hours a day doing horse related work – either working my own horses or coaching before or after my day job. Some weekends I spend the whole time coaching. I estimate that I currently devote about 8 hours a week to coaching, however this changes from week to week. I am currently only coaching part time, as my business is still very new.

In this field of work, is it possible for someone to be a full time professional, earning a livable income?
Yes, it is! I know of several coaches (particularly higher level coaches) who do derive their income from coaching full time. It is common however, for a coach to have several streams of income – either employment in another job, or to have several horse enterprises (such as training, agistment, product sales) as well as coaching.

What are the general steps taken to be employed in such a role?
Lots of experience in riding and handling horses is a good starting point and although not essential, competition experience is very valuable.

Most coaches have some type of qualification. For example I have completed my EA NCAS Introductory Coach certificate and am working towards my Level 1 General Coach qualification.

These qualifications require knowledge of riding and horse management (both practical and theoretical) and also cover risk management, lesson planning and skills needed to deliver effective coaching. Obviously, it is a lot easier to complete these qualifications if you already have years of experience with horses.

Regardless of what type of qualification you complete, it is vital to have insurance cover for public liability and professional indemnity.

It is much easier to get access to comprehensive insurance for a competitive rate if you have an industry recognised qualification.  Most coaches (like myself) tend to be self-employed, however it is possible to seek employment in a riding school/equestrian centre.

Any advice for those interested in pursuing this line of work?
Be open to any learning opportunity! Read lots, ride many different horses and also spend time watching other people riding, training and coaching.

Is there anything else with horses you’d love to learn about or try?
The nice thing about horses is that there is always something new to learn! I will always be striving to improve my own riding and to set goals. After many years focussed on eventing, it would be nice to have a go at something different – barrel racing looks like fun!

Favourite horse memory?
Cantering through the finish flags at Melbourne Three Day Event. It was a lifelong goal to get there – now of course I want to do it again! A close second would be spectating at the famous Badminton Horse Trials in England.

Future goals?
From a business perspective, I have a lot of work on my property to be done – fencing, development of an arena and change of layout to make it more suitable/better equipped. I also plan to expand my coaching and would like to reduce the hours I spend in my ‘day job’ – with a long term view to make the majority of my income from horse related work.

As far as goals for my own riding go, I would like to improve my dressage skills and of course, to do another three day event. At the moment, competing is somewhat on the backburner as I am focussing on developing and expanding my business.

Best thing about your sport/profession?
Developing a partnership with a horse – I really enjoy the day to day training and feeling the small improvements.  I also find coaching really rewarding, particularly when someone has a “lightbulb” moment or a breakthrough with their confidence. There’s nothing better than seeing people enjoying their horses!

” Every time you ride, you’re either teaching or unteaching your horse.” – Gordon Wright